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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

With a new rule taking effect this week, federal
officials are looking to compel businesses to significantly increase the number
of people with disabilities that they employ.

The rule requires most federal contractors to
ensure that people with disabilities account for at least 7 percent of workers
within each job group in their workforce, according to Michelle Diament of disabilityscoop.com.

While officials at the U.S. Department of Labor
say they are not establishing a firm hiring quota for contractors, they do
expect that businesses servicing the government will work toward achieving the
target. Contractors that fail to meet the goal and do not show sufficient
effort toward reaching the 7 percent threshold could lose their contracts under
the new rule.

Disability advocates say the added pressure on
federal contractors will go a long way.

“Federal contractors represent 22 percent of the
American workforce and an aspirational 7 percent hiring goal means the rule
will create real jobs, at all levels of seniority, for Americans with
disabilities,” said Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the American
Association of People with Disabilities.

Perriello said he expects that the government’s
new requirement for contractors will ultimately have a ripple effect throughout
the economy, with the potential to “transform employment opportunities for
people with disabilities.”

Under the rule, businesses with at least 50
employees and $50,000 in federal contracts must take specific steps surrounding
recruitment, training, record keeping and policy dissemination, all designed to
up employment of those with disabilities. Similar steps are already required to
promote inclusion of women and minorities in the workplace.

The changes could mean up to 585,000 jobs for
people with disabilities within the first year alone, the Labor Department said last year when the rule was finalized.

The plan has faced opposition from some
businesses and was challenged in court by the construction industry trade
group, Associated Builders and Contractors. Just last week, however, a judge
with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld the Labor
Department rules paving the way for them to be implemented on schedule.

Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence/advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at 586 263-8950.